This book made me speechless by how much I loved it. As someone who loves mythology and mythological retellings, I've been trying to read and learn more about the mythologies of other cultures, and this was my first read in Indian Mythology. Not only was the story amazing that taught me so much about the culture, history, and story of Ganga. Patel is breathtaking with her prose and the characters she's created. I love how she centered the women in this story and their lives because, in mythology, many times, it is male-centered. I found the story to be heartbreaking but also powerful in so many ways, and I now want to pick up her debut novel because I can't get enough of her writing. This book is being added to my favorites list because that is how much I loved it.

“Goddess of the River” is a story about humanity. A story about the oaths someone makes and the duty that they have to follow them. A story about what it means to be human. A story about mother and son.

Vaishnavi Patel did so many amazing things in this story. Her writing moved me, and was very insightful. I loved her characterization of Ganga, the goddess of the river who has become human. Some of my favorite parts of the story was in the beginning, when she is struggling with her newfound humanity. The middle of the story bogged down some for me. I think this book would have benefited with a glossary that could serve as a reminder for who some of the characters are. However, the story picked back up at the end. And I am in LOVE with the ending chapter of this book. Ganga as a character was so captivating. I loved her point of view, as a Goddess. This book tackled some tough decisions and it was intriguing to see the thought processes of the characters.

Overall, “Goddess of the River” was a read outside of my normal genres, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying myself while reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and RedHook Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Look out for “Goddess of the River” releasing May 21st, 2024!

The amazing and complex story of a river who is a god who is a woman and none of these yet all. This is a great introduction to the mythology and religion of India.

Once again Vaishnavi Patel delights me with a retelling. Much like in Kaikeyi, she gives life to characters in a way that makes the reader immersed in the story even if you are not familiar with the original text. I'm already looking forward to reading this again after I read the original story of Ganga.

This is the second book I've read by Vaishnavi Patel. I enjoyed her first book and looked forward to this next one. Growing up as a Hindu, the stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata were a big part of my childhood. I remember watching the epic Mahabharat series and being enthralled with it. I loved to read books about the gods and goddesses, Vishnu's avatars, and the history of Hinduism. This, like the author's previous novel, was a slightly different take on the Mahabharata. This was from the perspective of Ganga, who is not usually a prominent character in the stories. It was nice to envision her thoughts and opinions. There were several instances where this story was very different from what I had known, but the Mahabharata itself has so much within it, so many characters and stories, that trying to consolidate all of would be a feat. I found the first half of the novel to move much faster than the last half. I'm not sure if it's because I kind of knew the story already or if the writing/story just got more tedious. Overall though, I really enjoyed this take on the ancient story.

Thanks to Netgalley, Redhook books, and Orbit books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautiful retelling of the story of Ganga, wrapped up into only 400 pages. The writing is beautiful and very visual, but this is not the easiest or fastest read especially if you are not familiar with Indian culture and beliefs.

Vaishnavi is a master of retellings truly. To learn about Hindu Gods and Goddesses while reading a beautifully written story is one of the greatest feelings of being a reader! After reading Kaikeyi, I knew Goddess of the River would surely deliver.

I think Patel might be one of my new auto-buy authors and here’s why:

1) I think that retellings can be hard. There’s already a sort of set plot with set “characters” and I feel like most people would find it frustrating. However, Patel is incredibly gifted at being able to pick out the “side players” within a text and bring them to the forefront. Doing this adds ssooo much depth to the overall story (which I highly suggest researching after reading).

2) Since we get the side player, Ganga, in this story AND since Patel is big on exploring feminism within the Indian mythos, we get a pretty cool and nuanced look into how women drive much of the mythos. Especially since the society in this book is verryy patriarchal where there are rules upon rules for how women should behave to remain pious and respectable

2 notes though just for readers to be aware. PLEASE do not skip reading the trigger warning in the beginning of the book - it does not “spoil” the story and it is necessary. Second, there are a ton of characters/players in this book. I highly suggest annotating/tabbing to keep track of family trees and who is connected to who or else you will not understand the predictaments of many of the characters

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for the ARC!!

DNF at 56%

As someone who grew up on stories from the Mahabharata, the choices made in this book are baffling to me. The story I know of Ganga's emergence on Earth is one of a powerful goddess _choosing_ to benefit humanity, asking Shiva to help her land gently to avoid destroying the planet, and him graciously assisting her -- It's a story of grace, love, and compassion. The book setting her up as a victim of her circumstances kept taking me out of the story.

Additionally, having Ganga serve as the POV for the Mahabharata seems odd to me. She's essentially a passive main character, a literal river observing events unfold on land. With so many intriguing characters in the Mahabharata, any of whom could offer captivating perspectives, the decision feels like a missed opportunity.

I have to admit that my review is biased, given my familiarity with the epic. I think someone who isn't as familiar with the source material might enjoy this retelling more than I did.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Redhook books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my review! This was a lush, beautifully written re-telling of the story of the Ganga, the goddess of the river - 4.5 stars

I don't have any prior knowledge of this story and having read this reimagining of this tale I'm curious to find out more. Ganga is the river goddess and guardian of the young godlings that call the river their home. Upon catching the attention of a more powerful god, Ganga is cursed to become human until she completes her obligations to fulfill break the curse. Trigger warnings here for infanticide if you are sensitive to this a topic.

Ganga marries the King Shantanu and will do whatever is necessary to break her curse. She knows nothing of the moral realm - their customs and ways of life. Unfortunately, when she becomes free of her curse, she is forced to leave her son, Devavrata behind with his father. When Devrata promises to not become King, his oath has powerful impacts on a royal family bent on war and power over the throne at all costs. It is a fascinating story of the tension that exists between keeping promises and doing what is right? Which is the most moralistic? I was intrigued how morals and how we make decisions always have unintended consequences.

The characters are rich and multi-faceted, and I appreciated that even the gods were not immune to having character flaws. At their core, they are humanistic as well, having their own motivations and ways of interfering and influencing humanity. As time goes on, we see the affect of humanity upon Ganga as she worries for her half-mortal son as the kingdom inches toward war. It is beautiful and heart-wrenching as Ganga starts to appreciate the good in humanity through her motherhood.

This is definitely worth the read! I have had Kaikeyi on my TBR for a long time so I will need to prioritize getting to that book soon.

I was initially drawn in by this cover, which is absolutely gorgeous, but I stayed for the story. Without knowing any of the tales of Ganga, this story was easy to understand and follow the happenings throughout. I really enjoyed how the author told this story and all the little twists it provided. The only negative for me, at points the story was a little slow however it all makes sense with how the story progresses. I liked that this was broken down into four parts, this made the book feel as though it was being told in tales and I really enjoyed that. Overall, this was a great story and I enjoyed most of the characters, especially Ganga. I look forward to reading the author's other book 'Kaikeyi' and hopefully any other books she writes.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful retelling of an ancient folklore. I appreciated the language, the plot, and the characters. Very well done. This was a slower read for me and I had to push myself to finish—as much as I loved it, it felt slow at times.

I really enjoyed this title and was very excited about the follow up to a book I loved. I will say I liked Kaikeyi a bit more as I found Goddess of the River to be harder to follow. One of my biggest issues was struggling with the family tree which I saw in my copy that it was to come with the completed publication - this likely would have helped solved some of my confusion in the middle as I am unfamiliar with the myth. This is also where the novel slowed down for me, Ganga was my preferred pov so the start of the novel had me rapt reading it and then the pov shift was a surprise. Goddess of the River was a high 4 star closer to 4.5 because the prose is stunning and the storytelling is beautiful.

Again with her novels I am so fascinated by these mythologies I have not heard before and it makes me excited for more to come from her. I will be purchasing this when it is released and likely any other book Patel puts out.

4.5 stars, rounded up for Goodreads

Retelling one of the stories from the Mahabharata epic has to be, well, epically difficult. Just like in her first novel, Kaikeyi, Patel takes this one with grace and sets a clear direction for the novel. Ganga is only featured at the beginning of the Mahabharata, so there were many liberties taken and fantastical elements added to fully flesh out her story. I thought they were well done and added life to a character who often doesn't get that much attention.

I loved the way the story flowed and that Patel maintained the ethical ambiguousness theme that winds throughout the Mahabharata. Nothing is fully straightforward, and that was a relief as I was worried we'd lose that in this retelling. Bhishma's transition from mama's boy to the man he became was beautifully done and I appreciated that we got some of his viewpoint on the war itself. I found myself so actively frustrated with him because this was done so well. Further, Ganga's viewpoint of humankind, her role in the universe, and how she navigates these shifting elements was incredibly well written but also heartbreaking as she fell further and further from what she once was.

Unfortunately for me, Patel also maintained the narrative structure of the original, which I was less enthused about. Kaikeyi's story comes from the Ramayana, which I have always found to be easier to consume because the prose is less formal or flowery and the story is more linear with fewer characters. in Ganga, Patel has kept that heavy, flowery language and while some may love that, I did not - but I respect the level of difficulty present in accomplishing this and that should not be disregarded. If you can get through the first few chapters, when Ganga is a god who is largely unfamiliar with humankind, the storytelling evens out to an easier read.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

"Goddess of the River" by Vaishnavi Patel is a beautifully written and emotionally charged reimagining of the story of Ganga, the goddess of the river, and her mortal son, Bhishma. The book masterfully weaves in the history of the Mahabharata with Ganga's story, and how a curse and an oath changed the course of the world.

The pace of the book is medium, providing a good balance of character development and plot. What I loved most about this book was the range of emotions it made me feel. I was happy and sad, I felt love and heartbreak, and I felt a sense of strength throughout the book.

The character development of Ganga was nothing short of impressive. Throughout the book, she evolved and began to understand humanity, morality, motherhood, and trauma. The growth in her character was gradual, yet significant, and I loved being able to see the immense change in her from the first chapter to the end of the book.

However, there were a few moments in the book when I needed to reread sections to fully understand the story. I also had to refer to a family tree to make sure I understood how each character was related to the others. But these minor issues did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

I highly recommend "Goddess of the River" to anyone who loves a good story. This book is a must-read for those who enjoy historical fiction, mythology, or just a well-written and emotionally charged story. I will definitely be rereading it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC of this book.

My knowledge of the original story is from reading Wikipedia before starting the book, so I can't really speak to the ways it plays off the existing myth. But I definitely enjoyed reading it. The characters felt well rounded and the world felt complex. If you enjoyed Kaikeyi you'll definitely like this one as well.

I was a big fan of the author’s debut novel, Kaikeyi, and was extremely excited to be granted permission to read this advanced reader copy of Goddess of the River!

Goddess of The River is a retelling of the river Goddess, Ganga, and her mortal son. It’s a retelling of the Mahabharata, which I was not familiar with.

This took me quite a while to read. I found the beginning of the book flowed nicely and then I got a bit less captivated as it went on, however I still think it was a great read but I think I prefer Kaikeyi to this book.

That said, if you enjoy the myth retelling genre, or read and enjoyed the author’s previous book, I highly recommend you read Goddess of the River! Pub date: May 21, 2024

Super thankful to have received an ARC of Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel from #netgalley

The story seemed to move pretty quickly but slowed down a bit when it got to the war. Something that would have helped me would have been a visual of the family trees/dynamics. I'm not well versed with the original stories so it would have been nice to have a reference guide for recall.

Otherwise....

Absolutely loved this follow up to Kaikeyi and am hoping for more Hindu epics retellings from this author.

4.75 Stars

Another fantastic release by Vaishnavi Patel.

PLEASE pay attention to content warnings for this book. One should be prepared if they have certain sensitivities. There are themes in this book that may upset some readers. It's handled with care, but it can be a lot to read.

This book was just what I needed to get out of what was becoming a small reading slump.

Goddess of the River is a story about the Ganga River, personified. She grows throughout our time with her in this book, and she gains a better understanding of herself, the universe, and humanity. This is a story about myth, about moving through the world as a woman, motherhood, loss, what is right, what is just, sticking to one's word, trauma, and so much more.

I found that there were moments where the timeline was just a little too hazy for me, and so it was a little harder to follow than Patel's last book. But that, by no means, means this was a lesser story to read. It just took a bit more effort for me to follow where I was in the timeline.

Patel has an amazing ability to make grand concepts easy to digest, and relate to. The fact you can read this, and relate to a river is kind of brilliant.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC. I am looking forward to the full release this May, and anything else Vaishnavi Patel has coming down the pipeline.

Goddess of the River is a retelling of a portion of the epic Mahabharata, a book of Hindu mythology. GotR focuses on the tale of Bhishma (originally Devrarata) and expands the story of his mother Ganga, the river goddess. This is an origin story for Ganga, her curse of mortality, and her story of motherhood (however you want to interpret that…). There are jumps in the storytelling in time leading up to the War and between the perspectives of Ganga and Bhishma.

With respect to the writing, I thought the author did a beautiful job. There were a lot of quotes to pull from the book and the descriptions and allusions to water were lovely. Reading this book felt like I was reading a long narration of history with pretty prose. However, on the flip side, I would say that because of this, there are a LOT of names and gods to remember, and some terms I did not know due to my unfamiliarity with the culture.

⚠️: The book starts out with content warnings as GotR touches topics of fertility, infanticide, casteism, ableism, sexism, and violence in war.

Frankly, I’d give this book a 3.5/5. I liked it but didn’t love it. However, as this is a 5 star rating system, I’ll give it a 4.